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"WORST OF THE WORST"— 11/23/2013

"WORST OF THE WORST": Newspaper’s Publication of Mugshots Helps Spark Public Discussion About Law Enforcement Practices and Race, Report Says
— 12/02/2013

A recent decision to publish 32 mugshots by the “Chattanooga Times Free Press” in Tennessee has given rise to a familiar controversy over the propriety of publishing mugshots. According to the newspaper, the publication of the mugshots in a front-page article published on November 17, 2013 has sparked outrage among many of its readers. The current controversy also involves a racial component in the larger debate concerning the publication of mugshots. Critics of the newspaper have accused the article of being “irresponsible” and “racist” because all 32 individuals arrested are African-American.

The arrests were the result of a four year investigation by the Chattanooga Police, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, D.E.A., and F.B.I. targeting key figures in Chattanooga’s crack cocaine market. The newspaper ran a story about the arrests in an earlier article published on November 5, 2013, but only the names of the suspects were published in that article. Notably, not a single reader responded or commented on the article. It was not until the newspaper published the mugshots and people were able to view the suspects for themselves that the public began discussing the arrests.

The publication of mugshots helps hold authorities accountable for their decisions and actions. Ironically, the publication of the 32 mugshots that is being criticized by some observers is what alerted the general public to the racial make-up of those arrested in the first place. The community is now publically debating the various issues surrounding the arrests and the larger societal issues at work thanks in large part to the newspaper’s decision to publish those 32 mugshots.

Whether the “Chattanooga Times Free Press” published the suspects’ mugshots or not, the fact remains that all 32 men arrested in the multi-agency investigation are African-American. There may very well be a perfectly benign explanation as to why every single person targeted by the sweeping investigation is African-American. Thanks to the publication of the arrestees’ mugshots, the public is now demanding answers from the agencies involved.

Publishing mugshots has a way of holding government officials accountable for their decisions and actions through transparency that the publication of the names of those arrested alone simply cannot match. As is the case with the current controversy, the publication of mugshots provides the public with the ability to observe the emergence of certain patterns for which the public will demand answers from the responsible government officials.

In addition to holding government accountable, the publication of mugshots also serves other important public interests. For example, publishing mugshots aids law enforcement when they enlist the public’s help in identifying and capturing wanted suspects; informs the public about individuals arrested within the community; and helps avoid confusion and misidentification about identity of arrestees.

Publication of mugshots empowers members of the public to help identify suspected perpetrators and thereby assist law enforcement authorities in keeping communities safe. The case of Patrick Buttram is a compelling real life example of a person using publically available mugshots to identify a suspect and to help get a dangerous criminal off the streets. On March 10, 2013, Buttram was robbed at gunpoint by two men at the front door of his own home. One of the suspects shot him in the leg before fleeing with Buttram's cash, mobile phone, and jewelry. After his harrowing ordeal, he searched the Internet and recognized the mugshot of one of his attackers. He furnished the information to police who arrested the suspect.

Publishing mugshots of individuals who have been arrested also serves to inform the public about the people who are living in our communities. Dissemination of this information helps in alerting the public about misguided, unscrupulous, and dangerous individuals within our midst. The publication of mugshots is a far more effective means of alerting the general public than just through the publication of the names of those individuals arrested.

Finally, when only the name of an arrestee is released to the public, the potential for confusion and misidentification of the person actually under arrest can be great, especially when individuals with relatively common names are involved. For instance, when a person with a name such as ‘John Smith’ is arrested and only the person’s name is released to the public, a large number of people with the same name who have not been arrested instantly come under suspicion by the people in their life. This confusion and unwarranted suspicion of those whose only offense is that they share the same name as someone who has been arrested can be easily avoided by simply releasing the mugshot of those individuals who have been arrested.

The public interests served by public release of mugshots are served best by having as many people as possible viewing mugshots. When mugshots are only available through law enforcement websites or other official means, the public interests intended to be served by allowing public access to mugshots are effectively nullified. In contrast, when mugshots are capable of being viewed by the greatest possible number of people, the goals justifying public access are realized. Accordingly, the publication of mugshots by private publishers is in the public’s best interests.

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mugshots.com definitions:

Arrest or booked: An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation or prevention of crime and presenting (the arrestee) to a procedure as part of the criminal justice system. The term is Anglo-Norman in origin and is related to the French word arrêt, meaning "stop".

The question whether the person is under arrest or not depends not on the legality of the arrest, but on whether the person has been deprived of personal liberty of movement. Including but not limited to; a traffic stop, citation issuance or initial investigation of alleged crime scene.

The word "arrest" on Mugshots.com means the apprehension of a person or the deprivation of a person's liberty.

The word "booked", when used by mugshots.com, is identical in meaning to the word "arrest".

Mugshot - A photograph of usually a person's head and especially face; specifically : a police photograph of a suspect's face or profile." - Merriam Webster dictionary

"Mugshot unavailable": A mugshot may or may have not been taken by authorities.

"hit" or "view": An internal web visit measurement unit. Data provided to our visitors is estimated and may not be accurate. No guarantee of accuracy is made herein.

The mere questions and/or reports presented on this website about a possible arrest of a person are not an implication of an actual arrest.